Tyrrell Hatton impressed by player who could be joining LIV Golf after his driving display

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Tyrrell Hatton played alongside LIV Golf-linked Tom McKibbin on day one of the Team Cup in Abu Dhabi.

McKibbin and Hatton cruised to a 3&2 win over Antoine Rozner and Julien Guerrier as GB & Ireland raced into a 3.5-1.5 lead. The duo never went down in the match and eventually sealed victory after halving the par-four 16th.

For Northern Irish star McKibbin, it’s been an eventful week. McKibbin is expected to sign for LIV Golf and join Hatton and Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII for the 2025 season.

The bombshell news comes just months after McKibbin earned a PGA Tour card at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. “I’m not going to make any comments this week out of respect to Justin and Luke and this tournament,” McKibbin said when asked about the LIV rumours. “It’s a team event so I am just trying to give my best and see how many points I can get.”

Tyrrell Hatton’s verdict on Tom McKibbin after watching him at the Team Cup

With McKibbin likely to be Legion XIII’s newest signing, Hatton has closely analysed the 22-year-old’s game and was particularly impressed with his driving.

“You want to get off to a nice start. You don’t really want to be giving holes away early. I think we did a really good job of that today. We didn’t drop a shot as a team, which is important. You know, if they won a hole, they earned it by making birdie,” Hatton said when discussing day one in Abu Dhabi.

“So yeah, Tom played good,” he added. “He drove the ball really well, which was — he had a bit more pressure because I was spraying it sideways after the fourth hole or whatever it was. Happy to win a point.”

• READ MORE: LIV Golf announce latest signing as European golfer who matched Jon Rahm’s record back in 2014

What have Luke Donald and Justin Rose said about Tom McKibbin’s LIV Golf move

If McKibbin moves to LIV Golf, his route into Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team will be made more complicated. Since breakaway league events do not earn ranking points, the Northern Irishman will be solely reliant on the majors he participates in and any DP World Tour events he decides to play—provided he keeps his membership.

McKibbin is currently 32nd in the European standings, so given the LIV rumours, a captain’s pick seems his most likely path to Bethpage.

When asked about McKibbin earlier in the week, Donald said: “Tom has to make the decisions that he feels are best for him,” Donald told Gulf News. “I talked to Tom and he’s very much looking forward to this week, looking forward to playing for Justin [Rose], looking forward to try and impress me and contribute to the team. Nothing changes there.”

Ryder Cup stalwart Justin Rose was also asked about McKibbin and admitted the LIV speculation hasn’t been an issue at the Team Cup. “It hasn’t been confirmed to me, but it hasn’t been denied either. The team room is the team room this week, and the lads are all here for this week,” Rose said.